Microsoft - party printer drivers through Windows Update, as part of a substantial and gradual change in its strategy for these programs over the next 4 years.
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“With the release of Windows 10 21H2, Windows offers incoming support for devices over network and USB interfaces through the Microsoft IPP Class driver,” says Microsoft.
“This eliminates the need for printing device manufacturers to provide their own installers, drivers , utilities, and so on.“
According to Johnathan Norman, principal engineer at Microsoft Security Research and Engineering (MORSE), the company plans to introduce a new default printing mode that will disable third-party drivers for printing.
This action is intended to strengthen the overall security of the Windows ecosystem, as printer driver vulnerabilities affecting hundreds of models often go undetected for years, exposing users to significant security risks.
"We're making some big changes to printing in Windows. This is the first step towards a more secure and modern printing system," Norman wrote on Twitter.
“In the near future Windows will have a new printing mode by default that will disable third-party drivers for printing,” Norman added in a comment on Mastodon.
Starting in 2025, Microsoft will no longer accept driver submissions from printer vendors and will not add new third-party printer drivers to Windows Update.
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A year later, in 2026, the company will change the printer driver ranking to prioritize Windows Internet Printing Protocol (IPP) Class drivers. updates will no longer be available through Windows Update, unless they include security fixes. This change will take effect in 2027.
From this point forward, Windows will continue to allow users to install printer driver programs provided by vendors as separate installation packages via their websites.
All programs provided by printer manufacturers will continue to work and can be installed on all versions of Windows, even after third-party driver support ends.
“Existing third-party printer drivers can be installed from Windows Update, or users can install printer drivers using an installer provided by the printing device manufacturer,” Microsoft explains.
“However, in 2025, new printer drivers will no longer be published on Windows Update. Manufacturers and independent software vendors will be required to provide customers with an alternative way to download and install these printer drivers.“
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Microsoft will continue to provide security patches for older printer drivers as long as the corresponding versions of Windows remain supported by Microsoft.
